The is a third sector operator of four railway lines in Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Its headquarters are in the town of Fukuchi

Fukuchi, Fukuoka

is a town in Tagawa District, Fukuoka, Japan.It was established on March 6, 2006, by the merger of the former towns of Akaike, Hōjō and Kanada, all from Tagawa District.Mount Fukuchi stands at the northern tip of the town....

, Tagawa District

Tagawa District, Fukuoka

is a district located in Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 90,569 and a density of 292.98 persons per km². The total area is 309.13 km².-Towns and villages:*Aka*Fukuchi*Itoda*Kawara*Kawasaki*Ōtō*Soeda...

. The railway's nickname is Heichiku.

Principal investors

Fukuoka Prefecture holds 27.5% of the stock in the railway. The cities of Tagawa

Tagawa, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan.As of May 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 51,128, with 24,348 households and a population density of 937.78 people per km². Its total area is 54.52 km².The city was founded on November 3, 1943....

, Nōgata

Nogata, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. Located near Kitakyūshū and Iizuka, Nōgata is in the center of the Chikuhō region of Fukuoka....

, and Yukuhashi

Yukuhashi, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan. The city was founded on October 10, 1954.As of June 30, 2005, the city has a population of 72,005 and the density of 1,002.43 persons per km². The total area is 69.83 km²....

 hold 14.8%, 6.6%, and 6.6% each.

History

The company was founded on April 26, 1989. On October 1, 1989 it assumed the operations of its three lines, which were formerly part of the JR Kyushu

Kyushu Railway Company

The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...

 network.

On April 26, 2009 the company started the operation of the Mojikō Retro Kankō Line, a short railway for tourists in Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū

Moji-ku, Kitakyushu

is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the former city of Moji which was one of five cities merged to create Kitakyūshū in 1963. It faces the city of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Straits between Honshū and Kyūshū....

.

Lines

• Ita Line (16.1 km)
• Itoda Line (6.8 km)
• Tagawa Line (26.3 km)
• Mojikō Retro Kankō Line (2.1 km)

The Mojikō Retro Kankō Line is classified as a under the Railway Business Act of Japan as it does not purport to transport daily passengers or freight. Heisei Chikuhō Railway operates trains as Category 2 operator (as defined in the Act, see "Rail transport in Japan

Rail transport in Japan

Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in metropolitan areas.-Overview:...

" for details) on the track owned by the city of Kitakyūshū as Category 3 operator.

External links

• Heichiku Net (in Japanese)